interswapping EA81 and EA82 struts !

[jono]

I think I have found a minute , 0.5mm difference in the strut shock OD of the tube that fits into the socket of the stub axle between the two models Comparing factory OEM stuff to aftermarket EA82 strut.

 

Been trying to slip an EA82 strut into the socket of an EA81 - uh uh, not wanna budge, not even with a screwdriver set in the expansion slot. They are usually a tight fit when not interswapping. Maybe I need to remove the paint.and just keep going with emmery paper until they fit !!

 

Maybe I will just resort to lubing the old bush tops and spring for new EA81 struts and be done with it, but have made my two holes in one tower to take the EA82 strut mount.

 

Already dropped my balls in the sand below when the CV inner came apart

[monstaru]

Done it at least 20 times. Nice wire brush on both surfaces works a hoot.

screwdrivers are not gonna work to spread that gal apart. you need a prybars width, with a little nudge fore and or aft.

You'll get her.

cheers

[bratman18]

Yeah they do fit. As Brian said, it just needs to be pried apart.

[spazomatic]

How much can you open that gap before you have to worry about breakage?

[jono]

Aha, I knew there was a secret ! Not sure I am willing to risk pushing the envelope on spreading that housing into a permanent position for fear of breaking something !These are Monroe struts and may be a tiny bit different to other strut specs....more paint and may get them ?

 

20 of them huh ?? thanks for inspiration

[bratman18]

The ones I used were monroes as well. Once they're in, just clamp them back down. I had mine apart many times, with no issues.

[jono]

hmmm..... mine are a light blue, stamped made in England !

I never had to install them on my GLTA - they were in it.

 

When I pulled them, I am sure I used same extra heavy duty hammer to dislodged them.

 

So, stepped out to buy some 80 grit strip off a roll, shoved strut in a vice to hold it in place and got stuck into the paint removal and kept going.

While I was out, called in on Mick (Dundee) borrowed one of his screwdrivers , so, no need for one of your Stateside pry bars

 

I got a real purdy shine on the stump, finished it off with 240 grit and some purple polish. Added some wool fat out of a can - Lanotec, gave the girly end of the deal a clean up with 80 grit - and the strut nearly fell in the hole !!

 

Special thanks to those who replied and encouraged.

 

Just wondering who is gonna strip a never before stripped out strut to come up with correct positioning of the mount ?? Mark it first up top hey !

A smidge more and I will be satisfied that good, safe , engineering practises were in place

Edited December 31, 2014 by jono

[jono]

that's it  she is home !

 

Now, more on this tri stud strut mount

 

I have used a reference mark, spun the mount on its bearing and found that one point is 2mm lower than the the other two.

 

So, there is a slant, not a complete twist , thank Fuji !

 

For those who can't se my problem, i am looking side on at the strut mount, as I spin it on its axis on the strut itself.

 

There really don't seem to be any markings on the mount to indicate its orientation. There is a rubber castletation to correspond to each of the studs, some variable casting markings, and that is it.

 

No instructions in the books on how to determine it.. Which is why one workbook suggests to mark it before dissembly

 

I am thinking that as one is different - it should go to the front lonesome stud position.

 

Man, where are all the EA82 experts !!

[jono]

Remove rubber cap from top side, centre of L Series strut mount.

get a rule or straight edge.

prepare to take a max of three measures off the top of the central
rubber ring that just removed cap from. Sweep across, flat, towards each
of the three mount to body studs.

Between these points is the top of a square lump of rubber looks a bit
like a castle from a castle nut (aka axle nut with castles for split
pin)

One of these three castles has less clearance than the other two.

Odd one out is the one to the front hole body to mount !!
 

[jono]

OK, observation is, with the strut mounted in tower as I was originally
intending, odd one to the front...car is jacked up on one side to work
on it in a non floor location



strut is in , hanging , I set strut to sit in correct orientation, side
bolt hole forward, rotate stut as if turning, let it go, which ever way I
rotate the baby centres itself to straight ahead

[jono]

still waiting for a caution on the spring coils rubbing on the inside of the tower, or maybe the brake line bracket getting in the way ??

 

this is a standard height conversion so may be very different to any others done in here

[jono]

 

Edited January 1, 2015 by jono

[jono]

delete duplicate pic

Edited January 1, 2015 by jono

[bratman18]

If I remember correctly, when you lift the ea81 cars, you have to do some massaging of that area to clear the spring perch. I guess maybe it's the same when doing this? Mine was lifted so I had already clearanced mine.

[Gloyale]

BFH FTW!

[jono]

standard ball pein hammer did the job on the essentially a splash guard inner. That dimple was likely there to assist booster removal, but so far, only boosters I have removed have been on wrecks.

 

One odd thing I noticed is that the struts must be a generic item that flukely fit the L Series. The fitment label suggests the units are to fit on opposite sides than where they do fit. If they were fitted to sides suggested by label, the clearance issue might be with wheel/tyre instead. It is the securing bracket to hub that dictates what side the strut must go. Must say I have never noticed any other strut that send the fatter offset bulk of the spring towards the body. Clever engineers at Fuji !

[jono]

Monstaru, I am curious about the clearance issue inside. It seems that I have fitted up struts that have been a fluke fit to an L Series EA82  first. Fluke by way that each strut is marked to be fitted to opposite sides they are sitting in - for both EA82 and EA81

 

You have swapped over 20 or so EA82 struts into EA81 bodies, were they genuine struts or aftermarket in all cases?

 

I think genuines will be correctly positioned as far as the orientation of the spring mount offset and may not have any clearance issues needing a belt with a hammer. I suspect these aftermarket Monroes were made to suit another brand of car entirely yet they likely list as fit in EA82 just need to fit one marked for LHS to RHS and vice versa.

The EA81 strut sits centrally within the spring mount. EA82 strut sits offset within spring mount, so , when looking at factory EA82 front struts and those of nearly every other Macpherson strut fitted to most cars if not all with wheel off, the offset of the strut sits closer out towards the wheel and tyre, not closer into the body side of things - if you all get what I mean ?

 

I am not worried as the EA82 I drove for 110,000km with these reverse handed struts handled very well. Am yet to drive this EA81 ute with EA82 front struts - just waiting for new brake hoses from Rock - slower mail carrier for hoses than the international freighter that delivered rear shocks in just 8 days from almost 10,000 miles / 15,448km away !!

Edited January 14, 2015 by jono

[jono]

ok, back on this task....

 

finally worked out how and where to weld the brake hose support bracket on the EA82 front strut. I cut the old ones from the old EA81 strut and welded it to the existing welded on hose bracket so no welding to the actual tube. Still needs some work to allow the safety clip to fit properly for some reason

 

What I have done though is call Monroe, quoted them the 11090 part number to ask what it is for, multi brand model fit almost generic ? No....

 

It is the left hand side front for an L Series 4WD Subaru specifically.

 

It was fitted to the RHS of my EA82 turbo despite being labeled clearly with a diagram of a car and a red spot indicating it was for the left hand side.

 

I marked strut with an R for right before I removed it, so , I installed it on the RHS of my EA81 ute, fund the clearance issue of the spring, resolved that, now almost resolved the brake hose bracket difference. EA82 and EA81 front brake hoses are also different length and mainly the mid way support ferrule thing.

 

And now that I have figured that side is finished and on to the left...I find that the other part number is likely 11089 for the right side, gonna find it on the left aren't I ??  !! I also had clearance issue on that side for the coils and sorted.

 

A member in here ...bratman18 ? also said he had similar troubles with his Monroes in his BRAT so gave me confidence it all works and just need to resolve issues as they arise

 

I am gonna have issues now if I get the correct numbers on correct sides - in regards to brake hose brackets I think and another thing you not often read about - the left and right springs...

 

I can see now that when my EA82 turbo went in for new suspension back in early 2000's they were not done side by side, or the struts came out of a wreckers to replace stuffed air bag suspension and no one looked to see what side was what coz they fitted up .

 

I now would like to know the colour paint daubs for left side and right side of an EA82 4WD RX

 

The rear air bags were replaced correctly with shocks and coils - factory RX sedan coils with the yellow ID paint daub, so maybe I also got RX front coils. I need to look and report back when the rain has stopped.

 

At this stage where I am at, only just need to jig up and weld another EA81 brake hose bracket, paint out the Monroe blue to factory look gloss black and I am done - just will be running left strut on right, right strut on left  !!!

 

Oddly, now knowing this, the EA82 turbo sedan handled very well.

 

I have no idea how its brake hoses never fouled or were too short for their mounting position being on the outer side of the strut tube than the inner !!

 

Oddly, it never dawned on me left and right confusion was the answer to the oddity, I figured the strut would not bolt up to the other side due to the lock tab short horizontal bolt hole would then be in wrong spot. Did not see visually to transpose its position without changing its orientation to other side would work :)i

[Gloyale]

standard ball pein hammer did the job on the essentially a splash guard inner. That dimple was likely there to assist booster removal, but so far, only boosters I have removed have been on wrecks.

 

One odd thing I noticed is that the struts must be a generic item that flukely fit the L Series. The fitment label suggests the units are to fit on opposite sides than where they do fit. If they were fitted to sides suggested by label, the clearance issue might be with wheel/tyre instead. It is the securing bracket to hub that dictates what side the strut must go. Must say I have never noticed any other strut that send the fatter offset bulk of the spring towards the body. Clever engineers at Fuji !

That's wrong. Bulk of spring should be outer.

 

And ea82 strut tops (triangle). Are symmetrical.. If yours is not its bent. There is no difference in how they mount no matter how you spin it.

 

I've had lots of trouble with incorrect listings.

 

The Sachs front struts I order where just plain made wrong for the left side...both tabs in wrong spot. Seems stut makers have got specs for ea81 and ea82 all screwed up and confused....gotta be smarter than the parts guys ya know...

Edited March 26, 2015 by Gloyale

[turbosubarubrat]

Or you can have swap in a whole ea82 front end

[jono]

the entire EA82 stuff ?? Steering rack bolt directly into EA81 engine cross member or you also fit in the EA82 engine cross member as well ?? That would also need the EA82 outer CVs or some adaptors for the inner seals, or a lucky find seal ??

 

I have now since fitted the struts to their correct sides - much happier knowing I am not trying to reinvent something here. Brake hose brackets also welded inusing my jig made from an EA81 strut and on max drop extension the new brake hoses EA81 look to be so close to their max extension - a custom made longer hose could be in order if the struts gained me any more height over the 15mm I got from the EA81 struts and springs - struts and springs must just be that bit longer ?

 

Gloyale, I have to convince you to study the three stud EA82 strut tops a little closer. The distance between the studs appears to be the same, not tried to fit tops in the wrong way to prove one way or another myself.BUT there is a difference in the mount as there is a mild rake to the strut mounts I have and it is in just one stud compared to the other two studs.

 

I used some reference points with strut top mounted to strut and found the difference between the one and the other two is just 2mm - pretty hard to spot

 

That loner goes to the front of the vehicle. Factory manuals do not indicate the difference, there is no markings on the mount as there is on EA81 strut tops. After market Gregories manual here in Oz say to mark the mount before removing. I intend to mark my mounts next time I remove - never read that instruction did I ?? I plan to mark them by removing one of the three rubber castle tops - the one at the front most.

 

Monroe part 11090 is for the left of a 4WD EA82, 11089 is for the right. Someone fitted them each on incorrect side to my 4WD turbo EA82 sedan GLTA with the fitment stickers facing inwards so they could not see them !! Never had a problem in my 110,000km !

Edited March 26, 2015 by jono

[turbosubarubrat]

I used a ea82 cross member, power steering rack, axles, control arms, knuckles, hubs, rotors, and calipers. ea81 radius rods, radius rod mounts, brake lines with extensions, ea81 to ea82 crossmember blocks, ea81 to ea82 strut blocks. 6" or 5" is about the minimum lift for this mod.

[bratman18]

^Should be able to do the crossmember swap with less lift than that. I had an old friend that did it on a gen 2 wagon. He only used small lift blocks and got away with it. I don't know all the details though.

[Gloyale]

^Should be able to do the crossmember swap with less lift than that. I had an old friend that did it on a gen 2 wagon. He only used small lift blocks and got away with it. I don't know all the details though.

Agreed. Could be done with 1/2 flat stock with 2 sets of holes.

[machthree2]

Thought I would jump in here as you guys have a wealth of knowledge. I'm getting ready to do a 2" lift on my 86 Brat. I just examined the stock struts and they have an inch adjustment for lift. I know they are not that great but I'm not doing heavy 4 wheelin. So, I think I will net 3" lift front and 2" in back with the kit and the strut adjustment. That is what I'm looking for for my 25-27 in tires on 15 inch pugs.

 

Is there a heavier spring that I can sub in to the strut without breakin the bank? I'm putting a front custom push bar and winch mount on the front that is somewhat heavy, and later an EJ motor in. I've heard of King springs but would prefer a pick an pull substitute.

 

Any advice?

 

Regards